Google abandons master-plan to archive the world's newspapers

News Archive was generally a good deal for newspapers -- especially smaller ones like ours, who couldn't afford the tens or hundreds of thousands of dollars it would have cost to digitally scan and index our archives -- and a decent bet for Google. It threaded a loophole for newspapers, who, in putting pre-internet archives online, generally would have had to sort out tricky rights issues with freelancers -- but were thought to have escaped those obligations due to the method with which Google posted the archives. (Instead of posting the articles as pure text, Google posted searchable image files of the actual newspaper pages.) Google reportedly used its Maps technology to decipher the scrawl of ancient newsprint and microfilm; but newspapers are infamously more difficult to index than books, thanks to layout complexities such as columns and jumps, which require humans or intense algorithmic juju to decode. Here's two wild guesses: the process may have turned out to be harder than Google anticipated. Or it may have turned out that the resulting pages drew far fewer eyeballs than anyone expected.

See what our clients are saying:

Advantage did a perfect job of reproducing our newspapers on microfilm. The price was the best, the original papers were returned, and the microfilm was complete. Concordia Parish Library was very pleased with the service and look forward to using them in the future.Amanda Taylor, DirectorConcordia Parish Library

Larry, we are so pleased with the digitalization and search capabilities that Advantage has provided for The Hennessey Clipper. The website is a particular plus because it allows our patrons access in their own homes, and some of our patrons are researching from locations all across the United States. Advantage has made it possible for us to be 24/7 with our digital archives and has resulted in donations for additional electronic files. Thank you so much!Mary HaneyLibrary DirectorHennessey Public LibraryHennessey, Oklahoma

Hi Michelle, We are so pleased with our digitized newspapers from Advantage Companies. The Advantage staff were great to work with, always courteous, very knowledgeable, and above-and-beyond helpful! Have a Great Day,Patti Smith- Library Director

Future Digitization Planners,
Larry Eckhardt from Advantage Companies was a huge help when our library embarked upon our first digital project. We were unfamiliar with the digital process, but Mr. Eckhardt walked us through every step. He was always available to answer any question and prompt to reply. We plan on doing more business with the Advantage Company because of Mr. Eckhardt’s quality service. We are also very happy with the quality of the digital images produced by the Advantage Company.
Sincerely,
Library Director, Kate Lewis

Our library contracted Advantage to digitize about 90 rolls of microfilm that contained our parish newspaper, police jury minutes and census reports. We now have this material on a website that is linked to our library website making it available not only in our libraries, but worldwide. We love it.

I want to tell you how excited we are with our digitization of our old newspapers. With trepidation we sent you all 42 reels of microfilm. They were returned safely and now we have this wonderful searchable database. We can search so many ways, and the best part is, with the link on our homepage, our newspapers, dating back to 1850, are available from anywhere in the world! Now when someone in Michigan wants genealogy help, they are but a click away. Thank you thank you thank you. Progress is great!Sue AyersDirectorClyde-Savannah Public Library NY

Our library contracted Advantage to digitize about 90 rolls of microfilm that contained our parish newspaper, police jury minutes and census reports. We now have this material on a website that is... More

Advantage did a perfect job of reproducing our newspapers on microfilm. The price was the best, the original papers were returned, and the microfilm was complete. Concordia Parish Library was very... More

Future Digitization Planners,
Larry Eckhardt from Advantage Companies was a huge help when our library embarked upon our first digital project. We were unfamiliar with the digital process, but Mr.... More

The records that the University of Iowa Office of the Registrar maintains are not only our own institution (documents dating back to 1874) but we are the custodial institution for defunct post-... More